The birth of Sakuretsudan
by Midori Konbu
Summary: Make it threeshots soon. SekihouTai story set during the early Meiji restoration. Sano & his partner in crime.
1. Chapter 1

* * *

The birth of Sakuretsudan

A young man's story

* * *

The long haired figure loomed over a low wooden table, his expression inscrutable. Well, he was feeling particularly moody today, but boy, why wouldn't he? All that he has lived for, gone in a matter of minutes. All the years he has spent guarding his precious possession, gone as simple as a flick of a hand.

Yeah, true, he has been doing great with his so-called side business, but there was still a deep hatred nurtured within his heart, considerably burnt with the need to avenge. He closed his eyes, reminiscing.

_

* * *

It certainly was a biting, cold, biting night…_

"Move! run to different directions!", the usually gentle voice had a hard, commanding edge to it on that fateful night. The voices of puzzled murmurs and footsteps treading on the cold winter soil as they ran, the stricken look on the faces of the familiar group of people who ran with him… it was almost like a blur to him as the shocking sound of gunshots broke the silence of the night continually. It reverberated through the dark forest, claiming the lives of many brave and spirited warriors.

They ran, and kept running, although their feet were shaking.. only their determination kept them going… until more gunshots sounded, straight to Taichou's heart…. Though it ended up embedded in his knee, effectively pulling him to the ground…

"Taichou… Taichou!", their fearful voices squeaked out in unison. For their sake, he tried to stand up, to no avail, clenching his jaw as the pain in his knee became almost unbearable. "Leave, you two…leave now", he said between rugged breathing and clenched teeth.

The two youngsters quickly looked at each other with panic, but within those nerve-wrecking milliseconds, they had come into a decision. Resolutely, as unexpected as it may be, both silently kneeled and took each of Taichou's arms and propped them up, silently praying to be empowered to withstand the additional load on them. With as much strength as they could muster, they carried on.

_Not giving up… never giving up._

"….." it was difficult enough for him to talk, yet he made the effort with every fiber of his being… "Leave…". For once, the two youngsters did not heed his order. No, they ran as fast as they could while propping his arms like a pair of crutches. All was done for their respected Taichou.

Then, just as a nightmare could only get worse as it rolls on, this one was no exception. When their feet stumbled upon pebbles and more pebbles, they did not think that they were approaching a cliff.

They gasped as they saw what was unfolded before them.

A cliff.

_A dead end._

Even the scheming mind of his was numbed at the sight. Hearing voices and approaching steps, they began to turn sideways, frantically looking for a way out.. anything.. anything at all…

* * *

Sagara Taichou was silent during all those moments. He seemed to be on the verge of unconsciousness, thanks to the bleeding on his knee. But he surprised them by pulling his arms, silently forcing them to let go of both his young comrades' grip on both his arms.

He turned to them.. and smiled.

This was no ordinary smile.. it was a serene one.

Dumbfounded, they just gazed at his face, waiting… as if sensing that there was something very important that needed to be said…

"…Thank you…. You've made us proud…", he said with much effort.

The noise was approaching closer and closer, we itched to run so much, but didn't know where to.

"We're The Sekihou Tai… always remember that…", he halted, looking every bit the calm and confident Taichou we've known all along.

Something was amiss, but we just couldn't quite name it.

My spiky-haired comrade looked at me, with eyes full of question…

_What should we do, what should we do, what should we…_

"Taichou… we've got to run..", I voiced out in near whisper. My voice was barely audible, I had to admit that I was not a sissy, yet the fear that gripped me was incomparable beyond description.

"…Live on, and find happiness….", he said, as with a strength unbeknownst to us he still possessed even under that weakened condition, he pushed us… off the cliff!

All I saw next was Taichou's back shielding us from the upcoming shots, merciless gun shots as we fell into the deep, dark, spiraling abyss.. I felt my body went so limp and useless, trying as I might to defy gravity, and vaguely I heard Sanosuke's hoarse cry, "Sagara Taichou!….", before everything before me blacked out.

* * *

I still remembered waking up at the river side, bruises all over my body, even though I was not aware of them just as yet, but amazingly enough, every part of my body was intact and whole. Barely conscious, I was half-aware of the fact that there was a voice next to me, hovering next to my limped body as I was on my way once again into the dark oblivion.

_Perhaps then I could meet Taichou…_

I woke up with a pounding headache, and my flesh seemed to scream out in pain.

Suddenly I saw blurry figures by my side, and, focusing to look at them hard enough, I saw them. An elderly couple, observing me somewhat worriedly, though I didn't understand how could they worry about a stranger's condition.

Before I could say anything, the wife drew a cup of broth closer to my lips, urging me to swallow the warm remedy, at least that was what they thought, though no one could possibly understand that nothing could remedy me.

I was broken beyond repair, and before I realized it, I voiced my thoughts out.

"Sanosuke..?", I asked, wondering, if by some miracle, he too had survived the fall, just as I had.

The couple only looked at each other, confusion etched on their eyes as they returned to me. Understanding dawned on me, just as the headache returned full force. My heart was torn.

_No. Not even one of my comrades was alive. _

"Why did you save me?", I asked in a shattered voice.

They looked at each other as though I was crazy.. then the lady soothingly replied, "Because you were worth saving.."

At that, my eyes teared up and I yelled with all my might… "No, I was a nobody, I'm still a nobody, and I'm not worthy to live…".. vivid images of Taichou's body being hurled by the shot guns kept appearing in my mind.

_If only I was an adult, if only I was strong enough to protect my Taichou and my fellow comrades.. if only…_

* * *

The sheen of cold perspiration was clearly evident on my forehead. Every time I closed my eyes, the nightmare kept haunting me.

I opened my eyes. Yes, I'm still alive.

Twelve years ago, that incident happened, leaving me orphaned in the blink of an eye. Since then, I have lived with the kind elderly couple who took care of me. Takase-san was a teacher with interest in sciences, and Junko-san was a devoted wife to her husband whose favorite pastime was to do paintings. They took me in just like their own child, and as I grew older, they encouraged me to do what I wanted to do most.

_The problem was, I never knew what I wanted to do most._

Now, both of them have passed on a few years ago due to old age, and I was once again in a deep sorrow. _Why did all the good people have to die?_

_Am I doomed to live an orphan life?_

If that was so, may it be so..

_Perhaps I should surrender my life to the mysterious doings of fate._

* * *

I am all alone now. What good could all the skills they taught me with, now when I have no one to make proud of?….

Oh, they did teach me so many things, for they were simple people with kind and unsuspecting nature.

_Wait…_

_Perhaps I could still put all these skills to a good use…_

Now I understood what I had wanted to do most. My purpose of life came spiraling back to me in all of the sudden, ironically, when everyone has gone..

Who would ever guess that all these could lead me to one thing.

_Taichou…now I could avenge for you.._

* * *

Day and night I spent reading, swallowing the knowledge written in the many books of my adoptive father. I wallowed in sorrowness whenever I gazed at my adoptive mother's paintings. I was a lost case. Broken still beyond repair. I began to paint in between my reading times, if it was just as a means to finding solace.

Until that fateful day when I happened to read about the new Meiji government and the so-called restored era. All my deeply buried hatred sprang free once and for all. Obviously, it was merely buried within me, but was not forgiven, nor forgotten…

All those years ago, we ran..we ran away from the evil puppet master that was the Isshin Shishi… the group we, the Sekihou Tai once supported, yet we were made into scapegoat, betrayed, trampled, and assassinated in the end. And now, look at what they've become. They stood behind the powerful new government that was the Meiji government and corrupted people's mind with their dirty politics. _Again… and again…._

Something clicked in me.

_Someone must stand up to destroy this trash they dare called government. _

_And that someone…..would be me_…

_Taichou… now I'll really make you proud.._

* * *

The pages of the yellowing book was very interesting to read. No wonder this book was my adoptive father's favorite. I read it a bit, then read it a bit more, until I found something of value in this book. It made me wonder…

_Just how did I overlook such a brilliant idea?_

_Yes, this is it! This is a brilliant way to destroy the Isshin Shishi and the Meiji!_

_But wait… how am I gonna fund this?_

…

…

_Ah… the answer came easily enough… my adoptive mother wouldn't teach me to paint just to let that skill go down to waste now, would she? _

_Hence, I will paint. I will draw and paint and sell them all to fund this little project of mine. And no one shall learn of it…_

_I will destroy Meiji government._

_Hm… what shall I call this project? _

_Ah… I shall call this: ' The birth of Sakuretsudan'_

_Very fitting name, indeed._

A slow smirk surfaced on his usually grim pair of lips as he smiled his first smile in twelve years.

_- fin -_

**

* * *

Vocab:**

Sakuretsudan: Katsu's hand bombs.

Taichou: Leader

Disclaimer: (why did I put this in the bottom anyway?) Sekihou Tai needs some acknowledgement! RK still isn't mine though..

A/N: do expect more on Sekihou Tai from me…


	2. Chapter 2

**

* * *

**

THE MEETING

* * *

A quiet day on the slightly lower class suburb, only a few kids playing around the muddy playground and nothing else…

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Tsukioka Tsunan! I know you're in there!"

…..

"Hey, Answer me!"

…..

The tall spiky haired guy stood solidly in front of the old wooden door of one of the houses, he exhaled loudly in annoyance. _I'm sure this is the right address.. the stall owner couldn't be lying, …or could he? _He observed at the corner of his eyes that the children at the playground were now eyeing at him with a surprised looks. _Damn… _But he didn't pay attention anymore. He got to see…

"Katsuhiro! Come out"

……

The door was immediately opened, drawing in a haggard face of the nishiki-e artist who was living a discreet and mysterious life, or so the stall owner had mentioned briefly. He displayed an expressionless face, and those gray orbs were unfathomably dark and haunted..

"Who are you? ..What do you want?", he muttered icily.

Sanosuke smirked his usual cool smirk as he greeted the artist, " Is that how you greet an old comrade, eh, Katsu?" His smile widened as the other guy furrowed his brow slightly, trying to recall something.

…..

….. "… Impossible…. S-sano?", he uttered in a less composed voice, unbelieving.

"In flesh, my friend", says the former fighter for hire good-naturedly.

…..

"You..you're alive.. after, after all these times.. what.. how, how did you find me?", he asked, stupefied.

"Che… I had my ways…. And I s'pose I was lucky to have spotted this", he gestured to a carefully rolled nishiki-e that he found at the market place.

Katsu eyed the painting he drew. It was the portrait of the Sekihoutai leader, Sagara Souzo standing in front of the soaring rocky mountain.. and at the background stood two smaller figures.

"Guess I can't help but see the two brats standing at the background, now, can I?", Sano's voice was full of good humor, even the normally cold artist managed to pull a half-smirk at that comment.

"Eh, Katsu, is this how you treat your guest? By not letting them in?", the brown-eyed guy grinned, earning a scowl from his old comrade.

"I don't normally have guest, but, by all means, Sano, come in if you insist", he replied smoothly, with a slight edge of sarcasm hinted at his words. Too bad Sanosuke was rather too dense to notice.

* * *

Over a cup of sake, the two old friends conversed.. 

"I thought I was the only survivor of the Sekihoutai.. " Katsu took his cup and sipped it slowly, eyes downcast to the simple tatami floor.

"I thought so too myself.. for a long time.. but, hey, it's good to meet you again.. been awhile, and s'pose these days, things are getting better…", Sano commented, shrugging his shoulders in the process.

His attention snapped back. "How.. " he hissed out slowly "Just how can you appear so..relaxed.. after all those years?" His gray eyes came alive with a deep hatred "Don't you remember all that have happened? Don't you remember Taichou?…and… that bastard Isshin!", his voice raised a little, both fists were on his sides, trembling with barely controlled fury.

Sano observed his comrade, quietly nodding. "I suppose I'm learning to live… but, of course I remember…..I could never forget that day"

"I could never forget it.. it's as fresh on my mind like it was yesterday.. this nightmare never ends.."

The two stayed silent for a long while, contemplating, reflecting, reminiscing about the past….

Their downfall… Sekihoutai's downfall. Ironic really, after such a long time, the two survivors met again by sheer fate. Yes, it was probably fate that provided the chance meeting.

"Are you with me?", a voice spoke up, slicing the silence into two.

Sanosuke was dumb-founded. "Huh? what?"

"I said, are you with me? Are you on my side?", the gray-eyed man said slowly, repeating himself.

"Well.. of course.. you and I are the only survivors from Sekihoutai, of course I'm on your side.. we're on the same side", he answered firmly.

Katsu nodded solemnly, putting down the sake cup on the low table.

…. "Let me show you something….", Katsu stood up suddenly, waiting for his friend to follow suit. Then, the black-haired guy stood next to an old wardrobe with an odd flicker of light shone in his dull gray eyes. He waited for Sano to stand right in front of the wardrobe before swiftly, he shifted the worn down sliding door open, and made Sanosuke's eyes bulged in shock.

_'What on earth…'_

"Look at these! This is what I've been doing in the past years! This is my sweet revenge.. and since you are here too.. let's begin plotting Isshin's downfall now!", he exclaimed. A psychotic look was portrayed on his face, full of desire to destroy, to kill once and for all.

Sanosuke blinked. "You.. you've made all these? These… these are…"

"Sakuretsudan… my most improved version, thanks to years of tedious researches and studies..", he replied casually.

Sanosuke bent forward to take hold of one. "It's…a.. bomb? Where did you learn to make these?", he asked in a mixture of amazement and dread.

"I had my ways…", he shrugged non-chalantly. "Now, are you still with me?", he asked once again, gray eyes boring to Sano's skull, demanding an answer.

'_He is so bitter about the past… To think that at one stage, I looked like this too.. full of hatred.. full of bitterness…. And revenge.. _

_How do I make him see, like Kenshin made me open my eyes? _

_How do I answer him?'_

Sano cleared his throat. _How am I gonna answer him?_

Katsu observed the slight hesitant look on his friend's face.

He closed his eyes. _I should've known…. To think that I could trust a comrade…_

"It's fine if you don't want to come, I understand. I will be on my own, but.. all I ask of you as comrade .. don't tell anybody about this", he said in low voice, closing the wardrobe and turning his face away from Sano.

….

"What is your plan?"

Katsu stilled. "I will attack the Ministry of Defense courts first.. then make my way to the others…", he replied rather ambiguously, unwilling to tell him anymore than necessary. After all, he's not coming anyway…

"When?"

Frowning, the long-haired man replied, "Why are you asking? It's not like you'll …"

"I'll go with you", Sanosuke cut him effectively, showing every bit of calmness through his voice. Before Katsu can say anything else, he added, "After all, you'll need a helping hand, and who else could be better than me at this kind of job.. Oh, and I want to try out the home-made Sakuretsudan too…", he grinned, earning a smirk from the other. _'Baka Sano!'_

"Do you have friends or loved ones?", the nishiki-e artist asked out of the blue.

"Huh? excuse me?"

"Do you have friends or loved ones, I said…" he repeated patiently. _Sometimes he could be so… slow…_ _Did the fall off the cliff affect his head so much?_ Katsu noted in irritation.

Immediately his head conjured up images of The Kenshingumi, and he smiled a little. "Oh, you could say that… what do they have to do with anything?", he replied, slightly puzzled.

"We could make a move next week, so that'll give you time to say your farewell to them", Katsu turned his head away to the painting of the wall. It was a sakura tree with its leaves falling down to the ground. "You do realize that once you're involved, we'll be fugitives, don't you?", he said quietly, pondering if Sanosuke really will be joining him in this mission at all..

Brown eyes crinkling at the corner, a deep voice of laughter erupted from him, causing Katsu to frown. "What is it?" he asked crossly.

"Ah, no.. it's just ironic.. funny.. but, anyway, it's the least of your worries.. I've always been living a solitary life myself.. and adventure isn't a new thing… but hey, that means.. farewell celebration, no? Do I get to invite my friends for some food and sake before our mission?.. ohh, and did I mention already that I know you're such a famous artist that makes quite a bit of fortune from your nishiki-e?", he winked playfully.

Rolling his eyes, Katsu took out his coin purse. "Figures. Here, you can use it all.. I don't care and don't really need it anyway, all I care about is that victory will soon be ours.. " he turned away to enter another room. "I'll see you at midnight next Monday at place A, Sano" he said flatly.

"Wait, you'll join in as well.. this is your money after all.. you better enjoy the food as well…on, …let's make it Sunday evening… Ja na!", Sanosuke called out, before he turned to leave, a rather fat leather pouch on his palms, whistling a cheery tune on his way out.

"Whatever.." gray orbs were focused on the ceiling as he lay down on his futon.

_Finally, it's going to happen… Sagara Taichou, I will avenge you at last…._

_Maybe then nightmares won't plague my dreams anymore…_

_Monday morning can't come too soon_… he sighed as he closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N: A slightly clearer story, perhaps? No? oh, well…. I did try… hope it's not too rushed.. anyway, perhaps I'll make another chapter while I'm at it… just as closure… And yes, even though this story isn't popular, I'll still do it anyway, just b'cause I feel like it.. he heh.. (sad, I know.. heheheh) 


End file.
